Don't Tell Anyone
by MadnessinmyMethod
Summary: LevixGazille. Set after the Luxus Arc. Gazille is recovering and Levi takes it upon herself to visit him in the hospital. And what blossoms from a simple impulse by this little bookworm? A whole lot more than she expected. T for language.


_**Don't Tell Anyone**_

**By MadnessinmyMethod

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**Author's Note: Hey, everyone. So apparently I'm on a roll at the moment with the whole free time and feeling inspired to finish ancient fanfics that were half-written. This one was started a very long time ago. Back during the middle of the Luxus Arc, hence it is set after the Luxus Arc. A lot has happened, since but... well, I liked this arc much more anyway. So here's my crazy little LevixGazille pairing. Apparently people are spelling it Gajeel, but it doesn't exactly look pretty, does it? Ah well, I'm spelling it Gazille anyway. Enjoy this fic, btw only rated T for an f-bomb I dropped. Sorry if you were hoping for more. Hahaha.

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Levi McGarden was a generous sort of girl. People often told her she was too compassionate for her own good and that one day, oh one day, that would get her into serious trouble. Well Levi was already in trouble, deep trouble. She had sunk into a situation so serious she wasn't sure if she could handle it. The stakes were high. The prizes were tremendous and the consequences even more so. And it all started with a book.

It was an ordinary novel, a thick paperback with a worn out spine and dog-eared pages. Levi had borrowed the book from her literary sister Lucy. It was a long novel and Levi was always so short on time it seemed, so he had taken to carrying it everywhere in the hopes of cramming a page or two into her spare moments. After all, for as thick as the book was it was also as light as a feather.

Such was the state of Levi McGarden as Fairy Tail Guild was once again in a state of disrepair and healing. Luxus had staged his coup, wreaking his own personal brand of havoc and mindless destruction over Magnolia. And somehow, somehow, after Levi herself had managed to break the enchanted barrier locking up Master Makarov, Natsu, and the Gazille, the two dragonslayers had been able to bring the "ne'erdowell" (Levi had always wanted to say that) down.

The battle had been epic even by Fairy Tail's standards, which set the bar quite high. Natsu had managed to come out relatively unscathed, but Gazille, the other dragonslayer, suffered two broken arms and a broken leg (not to mention a horribly damaged ego). Gazille, like many of the other Fairy Tail mages, was sent to the Guild Hospital to recuperate.

Levi couldn't exactly call Gazille a friend or a nakama. The whole nearly destroying the Guild and attacking her as well as her teammates ordeal weighed too heavily in Levi's mind and the rest of Fairy Tail for that matter. But there was something about him that begged a second glance. Why would he join the Guild he had once been ordered to destroy? Why would he publicly humiliate himself by singing on stage? Why didn't he fight back when Jet and Droy cornered him? And why, oh why, did he take a hit from Luxus when Levi was in trouble?

That last episode in particular caused Levi the most confusion and concern. From there it was like a turning point. Suddenly Gazille immersed himself in the Guild's affairs. He had watched her as she reasoned out Fried's enchantment and when she had started spewing mage jargon he had told her she was amazing. Amazing! No one had ever seriously told Levi she was amazing outside her closest nakama let along a cold, frightening dragonslayer.

And then Levi knew she could ask him to save the Guild and stop Luxus, because she knew that somehow Gazille did care deep down in that walled-off, enshrouded place called a heart.

Though Levi knew it was a bit silly, she felt a bit guilty about Gazille's hospitalized state. She was the one who asked him to fight. And she told herself that she was at least obligated to thank him and do something for the man. He wasn't so bad really and he had helped stop Luxus. Gazille had saved Fairy Tail so everything was even now. Besides, someone had to help start the healing process.

Levi had paced considerably trying to rationalize it all and the rampant pacing made her glad that her apartment had hardwood floors instead of carpets. At last she convinced herself to go by resolving to visit some of the other injured mages. Levi didn't want anyone to think she was just there for Gazille. People were always so prone to gossip.

At any rate, Levi had made up her mind to visit Gazille at the Guild Hospital and thank him for everything that he had done to save Fairy Tail. She slung her bag over her shoulder and set off on the short walk through Magnoila to the small but comfortable building that housed injured and ailing mages.

Levi decided to visit Gazille first since in all likelihood they wouldn't talk long if at all whereas if she visited her other nakama first they could very well keep her until the end of visiting hours. She knew a lot of chatty people.

She stopped at the Nurses' Desk which was staffed by a pleasant red-headed woman Levi knew from somewhere but whose name she could not recall at that instant.

"Hi," Levi said nervously, "could you tell me which room Gazille is in?"

The woman studied her suspiciously for a moment which told Levi that Gazille had very likely had less than friendly visitors since he was first admitted to the Guild Hospital. Whatever the woman was screening Levi for; she seemed to pass the test for the nurse told her very quietly that Gazille was being kept in room B215.

Levi thanked her politely and turned down the hallway to the stairs. It was lucky that she only had to go up one flight. Levi and stairs were like oil and water, fire and gasoline etc. She could not help but glare evilly at the steps she left behind and she was so preoccupied by her hatred she almost forgot to be on the lookout for room numbers. Thankfully Gazille's room was significantly down the hallway so she was saved the embarrassment of having to turn around to figure out where she was when she finally remembered.

There it was: B215. The door was closed and Levi knocked hesitantly. What if he told her to go away? "Come in." She breathed a sigh or relief and entered.

The room was small and square. There was one bed up against the left wall where Gazille sat, both arms and one legs encased in plaster. At the far end, there was a window that let in a bit of light, though it was the wrong time of day for the best lighting. Next to the window was a small but comfortable armchair where visitors could presumably sit.

"Before you begin your angry ranting, I'll have you know that I really don't care," Gazille began and then saw who it was. "Oh, it's you."

"Uh, hi," Levi said nervously. Being referred to as "you" wasn't exactly the best start, but it could have been worse. Gazille seemed to be at as much of a loss for words as she was. Levi tried again. "Um, I came because I wanted to thank you… for helping stop Luxus," she added when she saw his confused expression. "So, um, thanks."

"You don't need to thank me," Gazille said roughly. "It was all Natsu. I ended up here after all." The bitterness in his tone was almost tangible. He didn't like the fact that he lost to a jerk like Luxus and even more so that a kid like Natsu had succeeded where he, Gazille, had failed.

"Yes," Levi agreed. "But you tried and you helped. That's what counts more than anything."

"Pretty words," Gazille muttered.

"And what's wrong with words?" she asked.

Gazille raised an eyebrow at her agitation. "Nothing," he muttered. He glanced away for a moment and cleared his throat. "I've, uh, been meaning to say this for awhile… I wanted to apologize for attacking you… back then. It would be a lie to say I didn't mean to hurt you, but it was wrong. I shouldn't have done it."

Levi gazed at him in wonder. Every time they met now he seemed to do something she didn't expect. She smiled a little. "You've already been forgiven. By me anyway." Instead of leaving she crossed the room and sat in the armchair by the window.

"So, judging by your greeting, I assume not all your visitors have been this friendly," Levi said.

"It doesn't matter," Gazille replied. "Most of them don't have the guts to try and hurt me when I can't fight back."

"You think it takes guts to hit a man who's already down?"

Gazille frowned at her description of him but didn't say anything. Levi sighed. "How's the healing going?"

"Very itchy," Gazille replied truthfully. Levi recalled the time she had broken her ankle a few years ago and the horrible itchy feeling of dried out skin. And Gazille had it three times worse.

"You should get a ruler," she advised. "It's thin enough to fit under the cast and scratch."

"It's not exactly easy to walk out to the store and buy a ruler," Gazille said gesturing to his leg.

"Then I'll bring you one tomorrow," Levi said simply.

"You don't—"

"It's no big deal."

Gazille looked away, realizing that they had been maintaining eye contact for too long already. "Thanks," he muttered sullenly.

"What's the matter now?"

"I'm bored."

"Well," Levi said, "what do you normally do when you're bored."

"I'd rather not say," Gazille replied vaguely.

"Is it something that awful?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Gazille looked back at her face again, hardly believing that he was actually going to respond to this girl, but it was so much more difficult when he was stuck in a bed and unable to run away from her. "I read," he said through gritted teeth. "And if you tell anyone I'll fill your life with misery and woe!"

Levi hid a smile behind her hand. "I could bring you a book," she offered.

"Won't do any good with these hands," Gazille said bitterly. "Or I would have bothered the nurse," he added.

"Oh," Levi said softly. Then she remembered that she happened to have a book on hand at that very instant. "Well, then I can read to you."

Gazille looked alarmed as she began drawing out a tattered novel from her bag. Truly the thought of actually being able to alleviate his unending boredom thrilled him, but the thought of being read to filled him with misery. "Wait! What are you doing?"

"Shh," Levi said. She opened the book and began reading in a clear and confident voice. "_Cat Chant admired his elder sister Gwendolen. She was a witch…_"

All of Gazille's well-thought-out and eloquent protests were squashed by Levi's firm reading voice. He was quickly captivated and watched in thinly veiled awe as her slender fingers flipped through each page. It reminded him of the time he had watched her working out Fried's enchantment. She gazed at the pages with the same intensity in her eyes, though he could actually understand the words coming out of her mouth this time.

He snapped out of his stupor when she cleared her throat. It was dark out and Gazille absently wondered how that had happened. "I'll come back tomorrow," she promised. "With a ruler too. But I have to go home now."

Gazille quickly hid his disappointment. He didn't thank her. He felt he had done enough of that today. Instead he said, "See you tomorrow, then."

Levi smiled and walked out the door. And as she made her way down the hall she wondered just what exactly she had gotten herself into.

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_**Three days later…**_

"_Janet looked at Cat and laughed. And Cat, though he was still a little lonely and tearful, managed to laugh too._"

"I'm confused," Gazille muttered. "That sounds like the end of the story but you've half a book left."

Levi smiled. "Yeah, it's two books in one, I think. Kinda strange."

"You aren't going to start the next one, are you?"

Levi smirked. "It's dark out. You'll just have to wait till tomorrow."

"You better not be reading ahead when you go home," Gazille warned her.

Levi looked scandalized, though secretly she had snuck a peak in the past. Just a little one. "I would never do that!"

"Pfft. Liar."

The young girl daringly flicked him on the nose. "None of that from you, or I won't come back!"

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_**Several weeks later…**_

Jet and Droy had cornered Levi on her way to the hospital. "Levi, we're worried about you," Jet told her seriously.

"People are talking," Droy added.

"People should mind their own damn business," Levi said fiercely. "And I thought you two would know better than that!"

"Do we, Levi?" Jet asked. He gazed at her meaningfully. "Is there really nothing going on?"

"We're friends! Nakama! I can't believe you would ask that!"

"Have you forgotten what he's done?" Droy interrupted.

"I'm ashamed of you two," Levi said haughtily. She shoved them away from her and stalked off.

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Gazille noticed something was wrong with Levi when she entered his room. He could see it in the way she walked and threw herself down in the armchair. He waited patiently as she glared at the wall trying to clear the thoughts from her head. "Hello, Gazille," she muttered absently.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she lied.

"You're lying to me again. Is this becoming a habit?"

"You know what?" she exploded. "Coming here was a mistake! I should have known better! I mean, you attacked the guild and no one is ever going to forgive you for that no matter what you do!" She stood up, slinging her bag back over shoulder. "Ugh! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm _done_!"

She stormed out of the room leaving Gazille staring after her in wonder. A thin plea for her to stay died on his lips. He hadn't even gotten the chance to tell her that he would be out of the hospital tomorrow.

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Gazille did not want to admit it, but he had indeed entertained thoughts that Levi might just want to come get him when he was released from the Guild Hospital. However, with her sudden and inexplicable outburst the previous day all such hopes had been miserably dash like a fallen ice cream cone. His mood was a dark one. He felt much like he had in the old days when all he had wanted to do was hurt people and cause pain. His limbs had healed, and yet there was a dull ache that threatened to swallow him whole. There wasn't even time for Levi to change her mind. He wasn't in the hospital anymore with no use of his hands to read. They couldn't go back to how things had been.

He started walking down the streets to the small apartment he called his own. A certain dreariness had enveloped him and he was hardly paying attention to where he was going. That is until he bumped into a thin, waif of a girl with an overabundance of wavy hair that smelled over paper instead of some flowery shampoo like most girls. Levi.

"You?" she said, gazing at him with wide eyes. "But you—"

"You left before I could tell you that they were letting me out today," he said simply. Gazille watched her closely, ready to keep on walking if he had to.

"Oh," she said. "Well, good for you." Her gaze lingered on him for a long time. There was silence. And then—

"Levi!" Jet and Droy were approaching from a distance and though still far off Gazille could see the glares on their faces. He let out an almost inaudible sigh. If Levi had not bothered to change the minds of her best friends then there was no hope.

"Afternoon," he muttered and departed before Jet and Droy could arrive.

Levi stared after him, forgetting that her friends were approaching at all. She hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him that she was sorry and that she had in fact been on her way to go see him and read again if he wanted her to.

"Pfff, glad _he_ left," Jet muttered as her two friends neared her.

"What did you say?" Levi asked dangerously. Jet cowered slightly behind Droy. "I'm so sick of you two! When are you going to get off your high horses and stop being so goddamn prejudiced? He's sorry for what he's done and he's trying to make amends. I've forgiven him already and he hurt me more than he hurt either of you!" She took a deep breath to refill her lungs and continued, "I'm going. Come find me when you've decided to grow up." She turned and shouted, "Gazille!"

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She was panting, but she had caught up to him just as he was about to enter his apartment. He looked her up and down before saying, "Ran a marathon, did you?"

"Shut up," she said. "I need to talk to you."

He leaned against the door and crossed his arms. Levi felt the obvious sting he intended by not inviting her in. "Well?" he asked condescendingly.

She took a deep breath, if she didn't fix things here and now he would stay emotionally stunted forever. And more importantly she would hate herself. "I'm sorry."

"For telling me to shut up just now or for making me believe that I could actually have a friend here?" Gazille asked coldly.

"The latter," Levi choked out. He raised an eyebrow at her nerve. "But… but I wasn't pretending to be your friend. That isn't what you think, is it? All those times I visited you, those moments were real, Gazille. I came because I wanted to."

He looked away, breaking his steady gaze on her. She searched his face. Did he believe her? Was he thinking? Had she broken the small amount of trust that had been building between them?

At last he spoke. "Ok."

That was it? Levi stared at him in disbelief. What the fuck did "ok" mean?"

He opened the door to his apartment and stood there for a long time holding it open until she realized why. He was inviting her in. "Oh!" He laughed at her as she scurried inside and hearing him laugh, she could help but smile. Everything was going to be ok. It was going to be all right. That's what he had meant.

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**One more thing to add, the novel quotes are indeed from a real book. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, by the fabulous Diana Wynne Jones. She wrote Howl's Moving Castle (which is amazing!!!) and is pretty much utterly cool. I happened to have just finished the book when I first started this oneshot ages ago when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Love you guys!**


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